District Project Officer 

The District Project Officer (DPO) will lead and coordinate the SBCC component of the HPV vaccine rollout in Nowshera by planning and supervising community engagement activities to increase awareness and acceptance of HPV vaccination among eligible girls, parents, caregivers, and key stakeholders. The role includes providing technical support to Community Outreach Workers, strengthening partnerships with community groups, schools, and local influencers, and ensuring effective mobilization for immunization sessions. The DPO will also design SBCC strategies, document progress, lessons learned, and success stories, and support monitoring and reporting to improve vaccine demand and coverage during the national HPV rollout in the district.

RESPONSIBILITIES

DESCRIPTION

1.     Strategy Development

·       Develop comprehensive Social and Behaviour Change Communication (SBCC) strategies tailored specifically to HPV vaccination demand generation among adolescent girls (in-school and out-of-school) and their caregivers.

·       Develop an annual SBCC work plan for HPV vaccine introduction and lead its implementation across district-level community engagement activities.

·       Integrate cross-cutting themes such as gender equity, adolescent health sensitivity, cultural norms, protection, and community trust-building into SBCC strategies to improve vaccine acceptance and coverage.

2.     Intervention Design and Implementation

·       Design and implement SBCC interventions for HPV vaccine uptake, including school and community-based campaigns, outreach activities, and IEC material development.

·       Use multiple communication channels (schools, community meetings, religious gatherings, mass media, and digital platforms) to promote HPV vaccine awareness and acceptance.

·       Conduct community and school assessments to identify barriers, misconceptions, and key influencers affecting HPV vaccine uptake.

·       Engage health workers, LHWs, teachers, and volunteers to support SBCC activities and identify eligible adolescent girls (in-school and out-of-school).

·       Collaborate with religious leaders, community elders, and school stakeholders to build trust and strengthen vaccine advocacy.

·       Facilitate community and school engagement sessions to address myths, improve awareness, and encourage positive behavior change.

·       Support establishment of school-based platforms and community groups to sustain HPV demand-generation activities.

·       Ensure timely implementation and adaptive management of SBCC activities based on feedback and monitoring data.

·       Support radio campaigns, advocacy forums, and IEC material dissemination to strengthen HPV vaccine demand generation.

3.     Capacity Building and Technical Support

·       Plan and conduct capacity-building workshops and training sessions for staff, volunteers, and community members on SBCC approaches and techniques.

·       Provide ongoing technical support and supervision to field staff to enhance their SBCC skills.

·       Conduct regular field visits to monitor the quality and effectiveness of SBCC activities.

4.     Documentation and Reporting

·       Document HPV vaccination SBCC activities, outcomes, and impact, including success stories, case studies, lessons learned, and community feedback.

·       Contribute to quarterly and annual reporting on HPV vaccine rollout progress, demand generation activities, and community engagement results.

·       Support development and dissemination of advocacy briefs, IEC materials, and success stories to highlight program achievements.

·       Collect and analyze data on community perceptions, vaccine acceptance, and behavior change indicators to guide program improvement and adaptive planning.

·       Prepare regular reports on SBCC performance, challenges, and achievements for internal management and external stakeholders.